Theorists

David Buckingham- representation
'Genre is not simply given by the culture rather it is in a constant state of negotiation and change'.
Buckingham believes that because of the constant changes in the media it is causing identities to change also. He believes that children and young people spend too much time surrounded by different media that shows a bad side to the world and is therefore continually going through changes due to the amount of views, opinions and cultures they see on an everyday basis. Even though the genre's change, the conventions stay the same meaning music video conventions are the same nowadays as they were, except nowadays they have evolved to fit the generation of music now. 

Roland Barthes
Barthes believes that a text has many meanings behind them and describes them as a 'galaxy of signifiers' which can be interpreted in different ways. By this he meant that a text is like a ball of threads that needs to be unravelled and once we unravel it we discover lots of different meanings and interpretations. You can either end up with a closed meaning or an open one by unravelling the narrative from a different perspective. Action and enigma codes are two of Barthes five codes, the others being the connotative, symbolic and cultural code.
Enigma Code- Builds the tension and the audience is left guessing what happens next as it creates the driving force of the narrative by making the audience ask questions. 
Action Code- This allows the audience to identify and interpret what is yet to come. 

Claude Levi Strauss- Binary opposition
Strauss believes that we understand a word better by our understanding of the different or 'opposite' word instead of any meaning they themselves directly contain. Binary opposites are commonly used in films to help plots but are also used in music videos as a narrative to emphasize the song. Some of the most frequently used examples are; 

Good vs Evil

Male vs Female

Dark vs Light

Clean vs Dirt

East v West

Humanity vs Technology

Jacques Darrida

Darrida looked at Barthes and Strauss' theories and developed them further by recognising that the binary opposites were never equal in a text, as one was always valued more which often led to stereotypes. 

Vladimir Propp

Propp studied folklore and fairy tales and discovered that a certain type of character was used in every narrative structure and this idea has influenced many filmmakers to produce a successful narrative. He simplified them into eight sphere of action:

1. The villain

2. The hero - seeking something

3. The donor - provides object with magic property

4. The helper - aids hero

5. The princess - reward for hero and object of villain scheme

6. Her father - who rewards hero

7. The dispatcher - sends the hero on his way

8. The false hero

Tzvetan Todrov

Todrov is a Bulgarian philosopher who came up with a simple five step narrative:

1. A state of Equilibrium - all is well

2. A disruption of that order by an event

3. A recognition that disorder has occurred

4. An attempt to repair the damage of disorder

5. A return or restoration of new equilibrium

Syd Field

He believes a typical Hollywood film can be split into three separate dramatic sections or acts. These are used to help one act move onto the next which turn around the life of the main character. 

Act 1

Most important is it draws in the audience's attention and within the first ten minutes the audience have already decided whether they like the film. Because of this it is important for the filmmaker to make it clear what the film is about and hint at what is yet to come and introduce the main character is and why they should care about the character.

Act 2

This is the confrontation and longest act where the character is put in extreme problem situations where they have to face their enemies. Usually it includes a mid-point where the character turns it around and wins. Still a long way to go and discover the way they have been doing things is wrong.

Act 3

Hero finally takes control, usually by confronting enemy and win.

Looking at theorists and their different theories helps inform our own work and decisions as we are able to refer back to their ideas and apply them to our own work when appropriate to create a hih standard and processional piece.